Let jankren alone, guys. Although some of the things he said do might ring a sour note, his main concern is one that I also have: If someone falls in love with me, I would prefer the qualities for which they adore me to sound loud and clear with or without pheromones. Pheromones can be used for many purposes. In the beginning of any relationship, they can help to augment attractive characteristics in a way which might cause the other individual to notice you. The attraction may also be something intangible and not related to any particular characteristic of yourself, but the pheromone signature catches the attention of the other individual and allows them to see aspects of your character that they might otherwise overlook. Either way, this is fine. The feeling of closeness induced by P74 and the trust invoked by beta-androstenol can both accelerate a relationship towards a stabler and more healthy phase. However, if I found a person I would like to give a shot at a long-term relationship, and even eventually marriage, it would pain me terribly if I noticed that they doted on me and adored me while I was wearing A314 but not otherwise.
Pheromones do cause significant changes in the way others see you, and in the way you yourself act and project yourself to others. You argue that pheromones “enhance” aspects of oneself that are already there, but what about reported instances involving androstenone, Instant Jerk, and some of the putatives. Occasionally, it seems like a usually rather reserved individual finds themselves emboldened; suddenly sharper of tongue, quicker of wit, and sooner to fury. That doesn’t seem like an augmentation. It seems like a change. Now, in some manner, this may actually be an enhancement of qualities that have been held in check through fear or simply not observed by the individual possessing them. But occasionally the effects caused by pheromones are so drastic as to make one wonder “Who is this person? Is this really me speaking?” This is what can cause such fear. Of course, one could identify the characteristics of themselves which are affected or augmented by the pheromones and work to heighten them phero-free. But it can still be a frightening thought that the pheromones actually do create something new, and that without them, attraction could vanish.
You say jankren must obviously know hardly anything about the purposes and effects of Androtics’ products, and on various counts (including the generalizations about men and women) there are problems in his argument. But no matter how many reports on pheromones we read on the forum, the nature of pheromones is elusive, subtle, and very subjective. Everything most of us know about them comes from spraying them onto our bodies and paying attention, or from reading reports by other people who have done just that. We can observe them only indirectly, and this makes it extremely difficult to eradicate doubts we may have about them, their effects, and ourselves.
Pheromonal science is a relatively new field, and despite the vast amount of research Androtics, this forum, and other independent entities have done on them, hardly anything seems set in stone, including the idea that pheromones only enhance what is already there. Certain pheromonal signatures correspond with certain genetic and physiological structures in the human body (androstenone is produced in higher levels by individuals who also produce higher levels of testosterone) and humans (and all organisms) are driven biologically to seek out individuals with genes that will best complement their own. Humans have also developed methods by which to indirectly analyze the genetic makeup of others. (Remember the experiment where women were asked to smell sweaty T-shirts of men they hadn’t seen and choose the most attractive?) By adding or subtracting pheromones from our signatures, we are inadvertently changing the genetic makeup perceived by others. While human relations are far more complex than this, we are at least subconciously driven by animal urges based in reproduction and the production of more fit offspring. (Animal urges, that special spark, chemistry.) Even if ultimately there will be no effect, this idea creates further uncertainty when one ponders:
“If I stop spraying this stuff on my wrists, will she stop loving me?”
